Carr Valley is one of the premier artisan cheeses of Wisconsin.

Sid Cook, Certified Master Cheesemaker from Carr Valley Cheese

workshop set up for cheesemaking

Steve the Cheesemaker, from Cedarburg, WI teaches the class. In 2009 Steve conducted four workshops at Lonesome Hollow, and this year he has signed on for another four. The 2009 workshop attendees came from as far away as Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, California, Virginia and Texas. The class will make its own soft cheeses overnight and will go home with some cheese that they helped to make. 

November Cheesemaking Graduates

Other cheese making workshops at Lonesome Hollow are scheduled for the weekends of May 22/23, July 10/11 (already sold out), and Nov 13/14. Call Steve at 414-745-5483   to reserve a place in the workshop, and call Pete or Nora at the Inn at Lonesome Hollow for your lodging.

The world is a better place because of cheese!

Monique Presents her Delicious Fare

Culinary workshop attendants can choose several ways to participate: from a full weekend, starting Friday night through Sunday, which includes 2 dinners, lunch, and Sunday brunch, to a shortened workshop on Saturday, which includes lunch.  The workshop will be located at Monique’s kitchen at her log home, which is nestled in the woods on a bluff above the Mississippi River.  Included with the workshop will be Monique’s award winning book, Cooking with the Seasons, which introduces readers to over 200 recipes that emphasize seasonal distinctions of taste, texture, and color.

Acclaimed chef Monique  came to the US from France in the sixties and took a position in her brother’s restaurant in New York state before moving to Chicago where she made a name for herself as a food stylist and caterer.  She also began teaching classes for people eager to recreate her art in their own kitchen. In 1983 she opened Monique’s Cafe’ in Chicago’s North River district which has since become the premier dining area in the city.

Since Monique has “retired” to the hills of Southwest Wisconsin,  she has been a spokesperson and chef with Organic Valley Cooperative, and is a frequent guest on “WPR’s “Here on Earth” and continues to teach, lecture and demonstrate the “art of seasonal cooking”.

Additional Lonesome Hollow workshops with Chef Monique Hooker will be November 5th-7th:  “All About Duck”-Roasted, Confit, Foie Gras, and more;  December 3rd-5th: “Chocolate and More Chocolate”-Cake, Truffles, Glaze, Dipping and more.

Photo by Jerry Quebe

Bob has offered his photography workshops at several different locations in Wisconsin over the past four years. Several of the workshop attendees regularly come back for more learning experience at subsequent workshops. His workshops are noted for the teaching of manual control of SLR digital cameras, artistic photo composition, and the production of quality prints.

To sign up for the course, contact Bob at www.bobdennyphoto.com. Space is still available. The Inn at Lonesome Hollow is offering special lodging pricing for this workshop – save $50 on a two night reservation. Lodging availability is shown at www.lonesomehollow.com, or call Pete and Nora at 608-624-3429.

Art From Digital Photography

This workshop is titled “Digital Photography Into Art” and focuses on the creation of artistic images beginning with digital photographs. The workshop will incorporate both indoor and outdoor photo shooting techniques as well as Photoshop manipulation of the images. Outdoor shooting will take place near the Inn at Lonesome Hollow, located in the heart of the Kickapoo River Valley and the famed Driftless Area of the upper midwest. The landscape in this area is one of constant valleys and ridges interspersed with small farms. Dozens of trout streams, and the Kickapoo, Wisconsin, and Mississippi rivers all flow nearby. Tobacco barns, vineyards, Amish homesteads, and eclectic small villages add to the photo opportunities.

For more information on the workshop, contact Bob Denny at www.bobdennyphoto.com/WisOct09.html. All workshop attendees must stay at the Inn at Lonesome Hollow during the workshop. Lodging options can be found at www.lonesomehollow.com.

Colleen Baldrica

About the Retreat Directors:   Colleen Baldrica (Moran) began her spiritual journey as a child.  Inspired by the teachings of her Native American grandmother, she carried that wisdom forth into her career as an adult.  With a Masters degree in Counseling  and a PhD in the Philosophy of Education, she worked in public education for 28 years. As the author of “Tree Spirited Woman” (Beaver’s Pond Press 2006) she has begun a new quest – to share with others what experience has taught her about those simple truths she learned as a child.  Colleen continues to enjoy the path she has discovered by taking long walks in the woods, sharing meaningful conversations with friends and family, and taking time to curl up with a good book. Colleen lives in Stillwater, Minnestoa.  Her website: www.colleenbaldrica.com.

Jeanne Penton

Jeanne Penton, B.S., ACSM has 15 years of experience in the health and wellness industry.  She is nationally certified through the Amerian College of Sports Medicine, and is a yoga instructor and public speaker.  She has worked with many populations including children, seniors, physically disabled, post-cardiac, diabetics, pre-post natal, cancer survivors, athletes, and general population fitness enthusiasts.   Jeanne has shared her knowledge and passion for wellness with many groups, having worked with corporations, schools, churches, fire departments, and served on faculty for the Department of Health and Human Performance at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, IL.  Self-acceptance, mind/body awareness, and stress management serve as the foundations of her teachings.  Jeanne lives in Sycamore, IL.

This will be Bob’s third workshop at Lonesome Hollow, and we are very glad to have him back. Previous attendees have rated the workshop very highly. Bob keeps his workshop size small so that he can provide much individual attention to all attendees.

To learn more about Bob visit his website, www.bobdennyphoto.com.

The Inn at Lonesome Hollow is a rural retreat, offering 160 acres of wooded hills in the Driftless Area of Southwest Wisconsin. The Inn is located about one hour south of LaCrosse and about one and a half hours west of Madison. The timing of this workshop will offer participants opportunities to photograph many wildflowers that will be blooming in our fields and woods. Bob will set up side trips that offer dramatic landscapes of the Driftless Area and the Kickapoo Valley.

Contact Bob to register for this workshop, and contact Pete or Nora at 608-624-3429 for lodging arrangements.

Enjoy a great scrapbooking weekend in the rural ambience of the Driftless Area of Wisconsin. Our trees will be budding and the earliest of the forest wildflowers will be blooming. Bring a camera, stretch your legs with a walk in our woods, and look for some early wildflower picture opportunities. A wide range of accommodations are available for workshop attendees. For information on workshop content email Wendy at wendyeins@yahoo.com. For lodging information at the Inn at Lonesome Hollow, email Pete or Nora at info@lonesomehollow.com, or phone at 608-624-3429.

macro photo taken by workshop participant

The Inn at Lonesome Hollow in Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin is again partnering with Bob Denny to offer a Digital Photography Workshop. The workshop dates are June 5-7, 2009. Workshop attendees must stay in a B&B room, cabin, or suite at Inn at Lonesome Hollow for both Friday and Saturday nights, June 5 and 6. Course content can be obtained from Bob Denny’s website at www.bobdennyphoto.com. This will be the third digital photography workshop offered by Bob at Lonesome Hollow.

The Inn at Lonesome Hollow is situated in the beautiful Kickapoo Valley of Southwest Wisconsin. The Inn offers 160 acres of wooded hills, private gardens, a large pond, four miles of private hiking trails, and superb accommodations. Check out www.lonesomehollow.com to view pictures of the rooms and the grounds.

To confirm your workshop attendance, please contact Bob directly. He is accepting a limited number of

Photo taken during workshop

attendees. Then contact Pete or Nora at Lonesome Hollow to make your room reservation.

We look forward to hosting you and seeing the great photos that result.

Pete and Nora Knapik